Stream the new Woods album 'Bend Beyond,' catch them on 10/17/12 at the brand new Preservation Hall

Woods may hail from Brooklyn but they know how to show the west coast considerable love. We’re treated to the Woodsist Festival each year in Big Sur – their label-centric, multi-day showcase – and rarely do new tour dates drop without stops in and around the Bay Area. Hell, the second track off their forthcoming studio effort Bend Beyond is called “Cali in a Cup,” and lays claim to album’s the first official video.

Bend Beyond (out September 18th, 2012) is the latest example of Woods’ ability to not only produce new music at an astonishing pace, but their desire for each release to sound significantly different than the last. In the past, Jeremy Earl’s vocals played a sort of “hide and seek” game with the listener: sometimes audible, sometimes muffled to the point of slight frustration. On Beyond, however, we’re treated to a more front and center positioning. Similarly, the acoustic guitars are cleaner and the overall instrumentation brighter, reminding us a bit of 2009’s Songs of Shame. Bend Beyond is currently streaming over on Spin and it’s worth listening to right now. Twice. Amid their impressive discography, and whether the band’s fans want it or not, this could be the album that pushes Woods to that next notoriety level. It would be well deserved.

In just a couple weeks the band hits the road for a cross-country trek that takes them through early November. Oakland and SF get stops – October 16th at the New Parish and October 17th at (soon to open) Preservation Hall. White Fence supports both dates, and you can see the full schedule below.

Woods 2012 Tour Dates
* = with The Walkmen
# = with Purling Hiss
% = with Widowspeak
$ = with White Fence

Wed-Sep-26 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse *
Thu-Sep-27 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom *
Fri-Sep-28 Asheville, NC Orange Peel *
Sat-Sep-29 Cincinnatti, OH Midpoint Music Fest / Grammers *
Sun-Sep-30 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls *
Tue-Oct-02 Toronto, ON The Garrison
Wed-Oct-03 Ann Arbor, MI Yellow Barn
Thu-Oct-04 Chicago, IL Subterranean #
Fri-Oct-05 Madison, WI Der Rathskeller at Memorial Union #
Sat-Oct-06 St Paul, MN Turf Club #
Sun-Oct-07 Iowa City, IA The Mill #
Tue-Oct-09 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
Fri-Oct-12 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Sat-Oct-13 Vancouver, BC Media Club
Sun-Oct-14 Seattle, WA Barboza
Tue-Oct-16 Oakland, CA New Parish
Wed-Oct-17 San Francisco, CA Preservation Hall $
Thu-Oct-18 Santa Barbara, CA TBD $
Fri-Oct-19 Los Angeles, CA The Echo $
Sat-Oct-20 San Diego, CA The Loft @ UCSD $
Sun-Oct-21 Pioneertown, CA Pappy and Harriets $
Wed-Oct-24 Austin, TX Red 7 %
Thu-Oct-25 Dallas, TX Club Dada %
Fri-Oct-26 Memphis, TN Hi Tone %
Wed-Oct-31 Chapel Hill, NC Duke Coffeehouse %
Thu-Nov-01 Richmond, VA Strange Matter %
Fri-Nov-02 Washington, DC Red Palace %
Sat-Nov-03 New York, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg %#